


Self Indulgence

by CloakedSparrow



Series: Thor & Loki: Brotherhood [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Comics), Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Brotherhood, Brotherly Love, Gen, Odin's Bad Parenting, Short, Thor Is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-17 02:24:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5850259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloakedSparrow/pseuds/CloakedSparrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thor only wanted to encourage his little brother to indulge himself sometimes. He did not mean to create the God of Mischief.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Self Indulgence

Thor entered Loki’s chambers without knocking, as usual, and lounged on his little brother’s bed as though it were his own. He watched the green-eyed youth for a moment to determine if he was actually practicing some sort of magic or just simply reading. He had made the mistake of startling his brother when he was trying to shape shift once; he would never make that mistake again. The pained gasps Loki made as he tried to fix whatever had gone wrong internally had haunted Thor’s dreams for months.

After Thor decided on the matter, he interrupted without concern. “I’m worried about you, Loki.”

Loki did not bother to look up from the giant tome balanced on his slender thighs as he replied. “Why is that?”

“You never take a break!” Thor deftly stole the book from his brother‘s lap as he continued. “You are forever studying, practicing, training, reading… You need to relax every so often. You have earned it!”

It was a tribute to how well Loki knew his brother and how dearly he loved him that he merely looked on as Thor went on a small tangent.

“…Sif buys these strange oils and the like to maintain her beauty despite all her training and fighting. Fandral always ends each quest with a maiden or two. Volstagg dines on the finest foods whenever he given the opportunity. You need to indulge yourself in something that gives you pleasure sometimes.”

Loki smiled at his brother lightly. “What if the pursuit of knowledge gives me pleasure and I am indulging myself at every turn?”

“I don’t believe that.” Thor scoffed and then pulled his brother up onto the bed beside him. “You are trying to prove that you make up what you lack in bulk and sword skill elsewhere.” The young god then turned solemn, compassionate -something he only did in his brother’s presence. “You have no need to, brother. I would choose to have you by my side over a dozen of the finest warriors Asgard has to offer.”

“ _You_ would.” Loki agreed. He did not need to explain any further. Thor understood.

The older boy tried to keep his tone gentle. “If you did not keep to yourself so, perhaps others would see what I do.”

Thor could see that Loki did not believe those words. He was not sure if he truly did either. He sighed. “At least find your own way to strike back at their cruelty.”

Loki echoed the sigh. Then he looked up at his brother. “Why does this mean so much to you?”

“You’re my brother.” By Thor’s tone, one would think the query was a veiled insult of some sort. 

Loki smirked and shook his head. “Very well, brother dear; if it means so much to you, then I shall try.” 

Thor beamed and Loki smiled back for a moment before questioning politely. “May I have my book now?” 

Thor groaned.

The next week, a young warrior insulted Thor while the blonde was out riding, claiming that the other fighters still took it easy on Thor when they sparred so as not to insult his father. By the time Thor returned to hear the tale, he was furious. Before he could find the scoundrel to challenge him to a duel, the young warrior was humiliated when he wet himself before a round of training. He swore there were poisonous snakes in the trunk he had opened, but all others saw were the daggers that always resided within. 

A couple days later, Sif made several cruel remarks about Loki’s strange coloring and slim build, finally comparing him to a frail maiden in a Midgard fairytale. She and several others taunted him for weeks. Until Sif entered the dining hall one morning to find that -while she swore she had put on her usual training garb- she was wearing a gaudy ball gown and singing bluebirds flew around her head. No matter how many times she shooed the birds or changed out of the dress that day, they always returned. 

The next few months were riddled with such strange occurrences. A servant (who Thor knew somehow always _accidentally_ served Loki cold tea and undercooked food) woke to find that it was snowing in his room one day. One of their father’s advisers (who Thor had been loudly infuriated with after overhearing the man comment that he would have ‘discreetly taken care of the matter’ had he had a son as weak and reserved as Loki) found one day that any wine he drank turned bitter the moment it passed his lips. A noblewoman (who made some underhanded comments suggesting that Frigga was not truly the mother of Odin’s sons but was just a pretty figurehead) found that she bleated like a goat whenever she attempted to speak for a fortnight. 

Only Thor realized that his brother was the likely culprit behind all these incidents and at first, he was pleased that Loki was finally having some fun and striking back at those who pained him. Over time, however, his little brother grew more mischievous and his tricks more grand and cunning. Even still, Loki appeared only to spend his time with Thor, his books, or his teachers. 

It was not until the incident with the dwarves that Thor began to wonder if he had encouraged his brother to indulge himself a little too well…


End file.
